Goa: 2nd Installment

Calangute
Our second stop, only about 8 km away from Anjuna, Calangute was where we found our favorite guesthouse so far. It was Johnny’s Hotel, not more than 200 m away from the oceanfront. The beach down the path was magnificent with a long, smooth coastline. The undertow was strong, but not too much to prevent swimming and enjoying the waves. It was extremely warm here so the water was a great relief. We shared the beach with numerous salesmen/women, trying to sell pineapples, ear cleanings, massages, necklaces, and water sports. We also shared it with lots of cows and dogs, which will never make us stop taking a second glance. The beach was the major draw of this city, the town was a very tourist centered city with lots of little shops. We ate seafood on the coast one night and then had a date night the second night. We had found a gem of a fruit and veggie market, tucked away from the crowded streets. Avocados, carrots, pineapple, mango, onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes were bought there for the date on the beach. It was quite the feast, eaten on “Classic Lite” crackers. It was absolutely delicious and relaxing to eat fruit by sunset over the ocean. The last night we were in Calangute there was a noisy and excited crowd gathered right outside our hotel to celebrate Diwali and Dashera, two Hindu holidays. They had a float contest in which 7 different floats portrayed the defeat of the god Ravan by the god Ram. These floats depicted Ravan as a 15ft tall god made out of paper mache with moving parts and everything. It seemed that each float was going to be the best until the next one came and topped it. This parade started at around 10:00 and by about 1:30 Sara and I had had enough, but the show went on with a burning of an effigy of Ravan at about 4:00 in the morning which we experienced the smoke from in our hotel room. We had a fantastic conversation with two Swedish people about Sweden while we were waiting for each float. They were great company and convinced the both of us that we need to go to Sweden! Sara also proudly noted her strong Swedish background.